PREPARING FOR THE SLIDE

Tuesday, December 31, 2013 10:00 AM

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Traffic was temporarily halted on the Madison-Milton bridge Monday as crews used a crane to deliver the sliding plate that will be used at pier 6, the new land pier in Madison, from a semi trailer to the curve at the north end of the Madison-Milton bridge.

Work continues on the bridge project despite some work stoppages for holiday breaks and the hinderance of high river levels this month.

The current work includes making slide preparations at piers 2, 3, 5 and 6 by installing work platforms, and preparing sliding surfaces. Also, the concrete pour for the pier cap on pier 4 is planned for this Friday or Saturday.

Future work will include the removal of an obsolete pier on the Madison side of the river; the paving of Vaughn Drive in Madison and the Milton boat ramp area; the installation of the new recreation area on the Madison side; the bridge slide and the installation of the walkway on the west side of the bridge. Bridge officials have said that the bridge slide probably won't happen until after January, though the exact date is still hard to predict due to a number of variables, including weather and river stage issues. (Staff photos by Ken Ritchie/kritchie@madisoncourier.com)